"There is a special place in Hell reserved for women who don't help women."
Madeleine Albright

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Meet Mindy MacKay and Euphemia Cartwright

Veronica's Tales is delighted to welcome Mindy MacKay, author of Fallen From Disgrace, who in her own words said, “Hokeydokes. For this interview, I've chosen to interrogate Euphemia Cartwright. Let's see how she does on the other side of the interrogation table for once, hehe.”

1. What is Fallen from Disgrace about? The story is about my sister, Rosella, her descent into madness, and her eventual redemption through her love for her employer. ThinkCrime and Punishment meets East of Eden meets The 120 Days of Sodom. Though we have quite the (one-sided) rivalry going on, I'm more of an auxiliary player…though it's quite alright. With my author, it's safer not to be in the spotlight.

2. What did you think the first time you saw Kyle? Hmm, the first time I saw Kyle…gee, my mind was just all over the place. I'd just finished solving the toughest case of my life, and my own sister was the perp. My world? Pretty shattered. But then Kyle and I had a chance encounter and he asked me out for coffee…usually, I'd have said no, but he seemed really sweet…and cute…so I figured, why not?

3. What was your second thought? Probably the sweet and cute thing.

4. Did you think it was love at first sight? Definitely not. I try to avoid love at first sight--it's always ended disastrously for me in the past. But it turned into this perfect, complementary, organic love as we got to know each other. He's really mellow and chill, and I'm just, always on top of things, planning fourteen steps ahead, a total workaholic…we keep each other in check.

5. What do you like most about Kyle? His aesthetic sensibilities. And that's really not code for anything, as some of my acquaintances might think. He's a brilliant artist and has a unique way of thinking about things, too.

8. What made you choose detective work as a profession? Besides a natural aptitude for criminal psychology, I really just wanted to bring some balance to my hometown. I've got quite the diabolical imagination, but I keep myself in check…some people, like my sister, aren't so good at doing that, and somebody's got to keep the streets clean and murderer-free.

9. What is your biggest fear? My biggest fear is that one day I'll go as crazy as my sister. Don't get me wrong, I love her to pieces, and there's definitely good in her, but she has proven herself a danger to society, and when I think about how we had the same upbringing, it freaks me out to know that could have been me in the papers.

10. How do you relax? Relax? I don't know the meaning of the word! Nah, just kidding. I like to surround myself with people and just get to open up. So much of my work deals with confidentiality, and it's a huge breath of fresh air to get to socialize with people, whether it's at a friend's place, church, or this support group that meets at my sister's workplace on Sunday nights.

11. What is the best piece of advice you ever received? The best piece of advice probably came from Kyle when he told me to stop blaming myself for all the little problems around me, most notably my sister's criminal tendencies. I know it's not my fault, but I get to thinking in this mode that maybe if I'd been a more caring sister, she'd have turned out different. Even though I did everything I could for her, and she did manipulate me from the cradle, it's hard sometimes not to feel like I don't owe her the childhood our parents never gave us.

This one is for Mindy, the author: What books or movies have had an impact on your writing?

I'm a huge nerd for old literature, so I've been inspired by everyone from Shakespeare to Steinbeck to Dickens, but I don't completely live in an archaic box. I also really admire a lot of authors and directors of modern media--Palahniuk, Christopher Nolan, and Lemony Snicket to name a few. I'm equally impacted by books and movies I don't like. I won't name any names, but when I watch or read something that's just horrible, I need to satirize it.

Rosella Cartwright wakes up in the hospital after a yearlong coma with no recollection of who she used to be. Her only clue is that everyone around her despises and avoids her. Then, she discovers the truth: before she was hospitalized, she was the most wanted maniac of New York's criminal underbelly.

Disgusted by reports of her own heinous crimes, she attempts to reform herself, but her efforts are in vain as society continues to cast her out in hatred and fear. All the world seems against her until she is offered a job by Daniel Ryan, a rising executive and self-made success who hides a lifetime of inner turmoil behind a façade of cool indifference. Drawn to his mystery as he is by her irrepressible darkness, Rosella starts falling for Daniel, but love can't save her from her past.

A former victim of hers wants revenge, and will stop at nothing to get it. Her partners in crime want her back by their side, though she wants nothing more to do with them. And a sinister plot of her own design, buried beneath her amnesia, is, unbeknownst to her, still very much in progress. These are the monsters she will have to fight off alone, and if she doesn't watch her step, she might not make it out alive.

Vonnie, Maureen and P.L.;Blogger hates me [again] today. It refuses to allow comments from me and I own the dang site!!Thank you all for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment.You are the best!Veronicas